Botanical babes – Ella Eve

We recently spotted Ella Eve’s tattoos and artwork on Instagram. As soon as we saw her botanical babes series and nature-inspired tattoos, we knew we had to find out more

How long have you been tattooing and how did you get into the industry? I’ve been tattooing for six years and I’m currently tattooing at Blind Pig Tattoo club in Brighton. My journey into the industry was a little unusual. I knew I wanted to be in a tattoo studio environment and Initially I took a job in a studio doing nail art for a short time. Consequently it was through the people I met in that space I eventually plucked up the courage to ask for advice from my friend who was a tattooist, and her guidance pretty much led me to where I am now, so I’m very thankful for that.

How does it feel to be a woman in the tattoo industry, do you think this has an affect or impact? I remember when I started tattooing I felt and continue to still feel very empowered to be a female tattoo artist. However, as a previously very male dominated craft, it’s hard to not feel slightly mismatched to the job at times of insecurity, and quite often there’s an underlying feeling of having to prove yourself. It can be hard not to overthink what your place is within an already quite judgemental industry, and especially now that social media plays such a huge role within advertising and promoting services.

In terms of being a female, I’ve heard from some clients that they prefer to be tattooed by women. Some completely inexcusable behaviour from certain male tattooists really tarnish it for the rest of the completely respectful men in this industry which is really awful. Hopefully we will put a stop to those people who abuse their positions of ‘power’ by calling them all out. I do feel I need to say, I wouldn’t explicitly say that I myself hold the opinion that being tattooed by a woman is a favourable experience to that of a man, I think it’s all dependent on the clients preference at the end of the day. As a tattoo can be such a private experience in terms of placement, it’s understandable some would specify a preferred gender anyway.

On the whole, it’s so great to see so many women making incredible work all over the world, making a stand for huge changes within the industry and also to personally know some insanely talented female artists too.

What inspired you to get your first tattoo and then become a tattoo artist ? I got my first tattoo at 18 because I was driven by a need for self expression and rebellion which is pretty much exactly what everyone would say I expect! I come from a big family of artists most of which are women and so finding your own identity was a lot harder.

I loved the idea of having something permanent on my skin that was mine and also back then I wanted to design everything I got myself. I think when you have been creatively driven your whole life, self expression is like the air you breathe and getting tattooed was another way of tapping into that.

As for inspiration for becoming a tattooist, the hardest years of my life were those where I put a cap on my desire to create and just existed in a more ‘realistic’ job making ends meet. I spent a lot of time, maybe too much, determining where I belonged in the world. It’s funny because when I think back, the concept of me working as a tattooist when I was 18 was completely terrifying to me. I was so afraid of failure, had no belief in my abilities and the pressure attached to adhering something permanently to someone else’s body was just mind blowing.

I was fascinated with the process of tattooing, the development from ancient tattooing and the current modern day abilities of tattooists. So, the desire was always with me but I had no idea who I was or how to find the confidence to do anything with it. It’s so scary to present your work to someone and ask for a chance, you really do feel like you’re laid bare waiting to be torn apart, and it was a whole eight years later that I eventually found the courage and thankfully it paid off.

Are there any artists you admire or female tattooers that helped you get to where you are? There are SO many artists I admire, it’s hard to whittle them down to just a few. Artists such as Greggletron, Kamil Czapiga, Tyler Pawelzik, Jack Peppiette, Kelly Violence and Suflanda are hugely inspirational for their consistently flawless work. There are some pretty special ladies I admire for their incredible talent and hard work also such as Tahlia Undarlegt, Liz Clements and Jo Black, the gals at Black Moon in Frome, and Deaths Door in Brighton. All of which have helped me in various ways, they may or may not realise.

What do you love about tattoos? Adorning your body permanently with whatever you feel and want is one of the most powerful things you can do. There aren’t many things in life where we have the ability to take complete control of something to that extent. In the same breath, being able to be part of that process with someone can be seen as nothing less than an honour. There’s no other feeling like it.

Can you tell us about your own tattoos? Do they change how you feel about your body? I would honestly say that I have never got a tattoo to change how I feel about my body. I genuinely see an incredible piece of tattooing and want to own it. Most of my tattoos are a homage to the people who made them and their talent. It’s also awesome to collect tattoos from friends who are tattooists, that feels pretty great. There is so much to learn from getting tattooed when you are a tattooist which just makes the experience even more invaluable.

When it comes to the tattoos you create how would you describe your style? What inspires you? I am a nature freak through and through. There seems to be a running theme through anything I do. It’s not as recognisable as some other people’s practices, but there is something that has innately captured me when it comes to the intricacies of nature. I love repetition and sequences in the natural world and without literally focusing solely on sacred geometry or mathematical sequencing translated into imagery, I think there is always an underlying botanical theme in whatever I do.

My belief is that people should appreciate the benefits of going outside and actually looking at the insanely amazing intricate natural world we live in. That’s definitely something lacking in the modern technological world. I’ve seen that lockdown seems to have reignited this in people a bit more, which I’m hoping will carry over when the world is up and running again.

You’ve been doing a series of botanical babes, we love the one you did of our editor Rosalie. How did these come about and how can our readers get involved? The botanical babes project started during the early stages of lockdown and Initially it was a way of giving back to my clients and followers, giving people something to look forward to and get intrigued and excited about, and of course keep me busy!

The idea carries directly over from the work I was developing within my tattoo practise beforehand so it was also a great way to develop those ideas further. In turn it’s become something so much more than I expected. The feedback I’ve received from people on a personal level about seeing themselves in a totally different light due to these drawings has been amazing. I really didn’t expect that. I’m also so grateful for the amount of submissions I’ve had so far. I’m still open for more, so any readers can just visit my Instagram, drop me a follow and a message with a photo of themselves. Submissions are completely free and open to any age or gender, and physical prints are available for £20 each.

What do you love to tattoo and what would you like to do more of? I love to tattoo portrait style pieces, especially within the style of these botanical faces I’ve been doing recently. Having done my botanical babes project I’d love to go back to work and be able to tattoo more developed pieces within that vein. I love the ‘nature on nature’ element of these pieces. I’ve literally joined the beauty of the human form with the beauty of nature and I’m excited to be able to work more on this concept.

Do you have any guest spots planned (obviously when lockdown is over!) This year was meant to be my year for travelling! Typical! But I’ll definitely be rebooking the guest spots I had planned before the pandemic. These include Parliament in London, Northgate in Bath, Easy Tiger in Leeds and Two Snakes in Hastings. I also had plans to travel to LA and San Francisco in October which I don’t think will be going head, but I’m hoping to rebook those dates also. Thankfully, I did manage to attend my guest spot at Black Moon in Frome, and I’ll now be doing regular guest spots with those very lovely guys in the near future!

Powder Beauty Boutique in Brighton

We had a fun Things&Ink outing to Brighton back in February for Brighton Tattoo Convention. While we were there, we couldn’t resist getting our nails done at the gorgeous Power Beauty Boutique.

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Editors Rosalie Hurr and Alice Snape got their nails did at Powder Beauty Boutique

image2 (1)Behind a discreet door on Duke Street, you will climb some stairs and enter a little haven with warm and welcoming therapists who can do anything from nail art and bikini waxes to make-up and micro-blading.

Excitingly, they now have a room to rent that would suit a professional body piercer or tattoo artist. They already have a licence from the council in place, so are looking for someone who is self-employed to rent the space. We can’t wait to pay them a visit again once they find someone… especially as the room looks like a perfect – and private – sanctuary to get pierced or tattooed in… Just look!

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If you’re interested in renting the room either on a part-time or full-time basis, contact Rachel at rachel@powderbeauty.co.uk or give her a call 07899884170. Visit powderbeauty.co.uk, for more information. Powder Beauty Boutique is an established salon with a large client base situated in the heart of Brighton’s city centre. 

 

Brighton Tattoo Convention: Street Style

We adore tattoo conventions: everyone united by their passion under one roof, that buzz of tattoo needles and endless inked skin. We love stopping people to have a chat to find out more about their style and what they love about tattoos. Here’s who we chatted to at Brighton Tattoo Convention a couple of weeks ago… 

Photos by Amber Carnegie

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Anna Harvey Williams @wonderlander
Job: MUA
Tattoos by Antony Flemming, Kate Selkie, Vicky Morgan
Star sign: Aquarius
“I am at the convention because my tattoo artist Antony has moved to Canada and he is back in the UK for this!”

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Lizzie Guy @lizzytotaltattoomag
Job: Editor Total Tattoo
Tattoos by Jon Longstaff and Enzo Barbareschi at Black Dog Norwich and Alex Binnie
“This bag is made from an old bouncy castle, by Wyatt and Jack

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Grace Reed @_gracereed
Job: Tattooer at No Friends Tattoo Club in Brighton
Tattoos by James Grave and Jane Rose
“I had to use my straighteners on my tee this morning because I didn’t have an iron!”

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Lydia Amor @lydiaamor_tattoo
Job: Tattooer, Black Market, Leicester
Scorpion tattoo by  Vinny Garcia
“I love lamps”

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Louise Henesy 
Job: photographer and business owner
Tattoo by Valerie Vargas
“Babe Cave started three years ago. I wanted my own little brand as a side hustle.”

Hopefully see you all at some more conventions this year? Let us know which ones you’ll be going to #thingsandink

Halina Mutinta Jewellery

26-year-old Halina Mutinta Hamalambo is a silversmith and a part time photo re-toucher at a photography studio based in Brighton. We caught up with Halina to find out more about the jewellery she creates, what inspires her and of course her growing collection of tattoos…

How long have you been making jewellery? I’ve been making jewellery for around two years now, and I started my first jewellery class in early 2016.

How did you get into making jewellery? I was actually doing a photography degree at the time I got into making jewellery. I was interested in finding a creative hobby alongside my photography degree (said no student, ever) and jewellery making/silversmithing seemed to appeal. So I enrolled on an evening jewellery making class in Brighton. Armed with my new skills and knowledge I’d picked up at my classes, I started looking for work in silversmithing, that’s when I began working once a week for Freddie Grove in London.

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What did you do before? I dropped out of college and became a dental nurse at 16 – I did this for around six years. Dental nursing was a huge part of my life at the time and I genuinely thought that was it; that was what I’d be doing forever! After years of working in a medical profession I figured that a dental nursing career wasn’t my calling, I felt there was something more creative within me and I wanted to explore this in my day-to-day work. That’s when I started studying photography at Brighton University. I never studied jewellery at university, only photography – they both amalgamate pretty well though, which is a bonus!

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What inspires your designs? A lot of things inspire me to create my designs, my background is pretty diverse – I’m half Polish, half Zambian and I was born in Sweden; so I’m fortunate enough to visit some amazing places. Nature, animals, insects, books, art, anatomy, tattoos, textures and patterns are just a few things that inspire me. Oh and my mum! She always wore heavy, chunky silver and large stones around her neck and hanging from her ears. Since I was a kid my mum has always passed her jewellery she’d outgrown down to me, which I’ve been collecting for years.

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How would you describe your process? My process usually starts from sketches, I’ll then figure out the materials I would like to work with (mainly silver) and then I begin making. Some of my designs are created in wax and then cast in to silver or gold; this is so I can reuse particular designs. Initial ideas don’t always work out so it can be challenging, yet it’s fun and rewarding. Silver can easily be recycled too; I can melt it down and forge it, which is great – no waste.

What is your work station/room like? I love my little workstation, it’s usually pretty tidy with MOST things in order – it’s quite literally the opposite at home though! I’ve gained so many great tools too, my boyfriend’s mum used to make jewellery so she’s handed down loads of her cool tools and stones from around 30 years ago. I never thought I would I enjoy tool collecting so much!

Can you tell us about your tattoos? I’ve been collecting tattoos for a while now, I have some that are pretty shitty but they mean a lot and a load that are personally meaningless yet the coolest designs. My most recent tattoo was an anvil made by Adam Sage.

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Do your tattoos influence your designs? In some ways yes, they definitely do. A lot of my friends are also tattooed and my boyfriend, Jack Thomas Newton is a tattooist so there’s always a load of inspiration around me – especially in our home. Jack influences me a lot creatively. My next tattoo will be a Rangoli, so I reckon some of my next designs may be inspired by Asian art and culture.

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How do tattoos make you feel? Tattoos make me feel good and I’m sure this goes for most people that have some! I think it’s amazing that we can wear a piece of art – even if that is something meaningful, decorative or even just silly.

Tattoo Artist: Sofia Angelita

23-year-old Sofia Angelita works as a resident artist at Low Tide Tattoo in Southend-on-Sea and she also regularly guests at Kings Cross Tattoo London and Angelic Hell Brighton. We caught up with Sofia to chat about her style and influences…


How long have you been tattooing? I’ve been tattooing for two years or so.

What do you love the most about tattooing? Now that’s a tricky question, I love most things about tattooing! I love the daily creativity and freedom I’m lucky enough to have at work and that it never feels like work! But I’m sure every tattooist thinks that! I also love meeting new people and making them happy in some way!

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You work in both colour and black, which do you prefer? In all honesty I don’t think I have a preference, colour definitely takes a different kind of thought process for me personally than black work or black and grey. Colour also takes a longer time for me but I really enjoy the both!

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Who are your tattoo icons? Or artists that you admire? There are so many artists that blow my mind  technically and for creativity. Rebecca Vincent will always be a huge icon to me, I met and got tattooed by her very early on when I was finishing my apprenticeship. She took so much time for me and was very informative and helpful and really gave me that extra moral boost I needed at that time, which she really didn’t have to do. Also loving Oliver Macintosh, Claudia de Sabe, Barb Rebello, Adam Ruff, Horiyoshi, Sarah Schor, so many artists, the list goes on!

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What would you love to tattoo? I would love to tattoo more lady faces and ornamental stuff.

How would you describe your style? I’m really bad at this question ! I’ve had some people say it’s illustrative but I’m really not sure what “box” my stuff goes in that would help me explain it? I also love tattooing ornamental pieces!

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